Healing Gifts Spring 2014 - Advocate Children's Hospital Insert | Page 4

Preventing Children’s Sports injuries Participation in any sport, whether it’s recreational bike riding or pee-wee football, can teach kids to stretch their limits and learn sportsmanship and discipline. But sports also carry the potential for injury. You can help prevent your kids from being injured by following some simple guidelines: Use of proper equipment It’s important for kids to use proper equipment and safety gear that are the correct size and fit well. For example, they should wear helmets for baseball, softball, bicycle riding, and hockey. They also should wear helmets while inline skating or riding scooters and skateboards. For racquet sports and basketball, ask your child’s coach about protective eyewear, like shatterproof goggles. Also ask about the appropriate helmets, shoes, mouth guards, athletic cups and supporters, and padding. Protective equipment should be approved by the organizations that govern each sport. Hockey face masks, for example, should be approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Bicycle helmets should have a safety certification sticker from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Also, equipment should be properly maintained to ensure its effectiveness over time. In the United States, the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) sets many of the standards for helmets, face masks and shin guards. Maintenance and appropriateness of playing surfaces Check that playing fields are not full of holes and ruts that might cause kids to fall or trip. Kids doing high-impact sports, like basketball and running, should do them on surfaces like tracks and wooden basketball courts, which can be more forgiving than surfaces like concrete. The team coach should have training in first aid and CPR, and the coach’s philosophy should promote players’ well-being. A coach with a win-at-all-costs attitude may encourage kids to play through injury and may not foster good sportsmanship. Be sure that the coach enforces playing rules and requires that safety equipment be used at all times. Additionally, make sure your kids are matched for sports according to their skill level, size, and physical and emotional maturity. Proper preparation Just as you wouldn’t send a child who can’t swim to a swimming pool, it’s important not to send kids to play a sport they’re unprepared to play. Make sure your child knows how to play the sport before going out on the field. Your child should be adequately prepared with warm-ups and training sessions before practices, as well as before games. This will help ensure that your child has fun and reduce the chances of an injury. In addition, kids should drink plenty of fluids and be allowed to rest during practices and games. © 2014. The Nemours Foundati on/KidsHealth®. Used under liscense. This is an abridged version. For the full article, visit advocatechildrenshospital.com. Adequate adult supervision and commitment to safety Any team sport or activity that kids participate in should be supervised by qualified adults. Select leagues and teams that have the same commitment to safety and injury prevention that you do. KID-Focused Care Learn more about philanthropy at Advocate Children’s Hospital: advocatechildrenshospital.com/giving · facebook.com/AdvocateChildrensHospital Sarah Cutrara at 708.684.5231 (Oak Lawn) or Mary Kozil at 847.723.8144 (Park Ridge)